5. Remember Footprints?
Well, you can ask Jesus to carry you
when life is overwhelming.

6. Bad news? Right
in the middle of a marriage crisis something else may be happening.
You might be having a mini nervous breakdown.
Now that is not fair. (But life is not always fair, is it?)

1. Level Playing
Field to Clear out the enemy in a situation

"Father, I take a stand, in Jesus name, against all the works of
the enemy in this situation.

I claim protection for (names) that they be signed with the cross of
Jesus, sealed with the blood of Jesus, hidden in Christ and protected
all around with your holy angels.

I call upon God: for the presence of God within this situation, for
the wisdom from above for each one, and for God's quick judgment upon
the plans of Satan and the works of darkness in this situation.

I call for victory in Jesus name for God's truth and God's holy ones.

I claim defeat, in Jesus name, of Satan's power to veil minds. May
all veils be removed and spiritual eyes be opened to see and know
what is true.

I claim defeat, in Jesus name, of any and all fascination with sin or
evil. May eyes be open to the beauty, grace and truth of God.

In the authority of Jesus I break the power of any curse, negative
work or unbelieving prayer against anyone in this situation. I break
it off in Jesus name and ask Jesus to break the power of any evil
riding upon these curses or negative words.

May ears be open to God's Word, to the truth that sets us free. Feed
us Father with your daily bread - Your very word spoken to us. Send
forth Your Word of healing and blessing. For Your word is living and
powerful and accomplishes Your purposes.

Praise be to God."

2. Forgiveness as the
Secret of Protection from Name-calling

If you want protection from name-calling and mud slinging in a
relationship then you have some decisions to make. Do you need to
fight back? Do you need to hurt the one that is hurting you?

Taking emotional revenge comes at a price. God will not protect you
from emotional hurt.

If you want God to protect you emotionally then you have to give up
your right to strike back. You cannot avenge yourself by hurting the
other. Whenever you are act as your own protector you keep God out of it

However, as soon as you decide not to hurt the other God steps in to
protect you. You will be amazed at the invisible shield that God puts up.

Decide to walk in forgiveness toward the other. As they hurt you forgive.

Move into blessing the other. As the speak ill of you, you, in your
mind, speak blessing toward them. "Father bless then, show them
Your love. Give them your peace."

3.
Broken Heart to God - a Prayer in times of Heart Break and Depression

Your heart may be broken. If you give your heart to God it will mend
right. If you don't it will have scars. It will be hardened and
bitter. You will not be able to easily love again. So trust your
heart to God.

He will hold those broken pieces in His hands. As they mend you will
have a soft heart. You will be able to love again with increased love.

The verbal prayer goes like this: "Father my heart is broken. I
feel like it is in pieces. I need to put my heart into your care.
Will you take care of it for me? I want to be able to love again. I
don't want to be bitter and brittle."

A physical way of expressing it is to physically reach out with the
motion of giving your heart into the hands of Jesus.

Take time to listen to God. Wait for His affirmation that he will
take your heart into His care. When you sense this, thank Him.

You can do the "Broken Heart to God" prayer as a story - an
inner drama. Picture yourself taking your heart and placing it in the
Father's hands. See Him take your heart into His hands. Ask Him to
take care of your heart. Wait and see what happens. What do you
sense? What do you feel? What do your hear? Give thanks.

4. Pray with praise
when broken hearted and depressed

In a personal crisis it is easy to get discouraged and lose faith.
Ones spirits can droop and we become depressed. Praise to God
counteracts this.

One highly important action to take in times like this is to find
things to thank God for. Gratitude is a healthy feeling.

You can keep a blessing book. Every day note one blessing. This
brings encouragement.

Keep praise and worship songs in one's life. Praise builds faith.
Praise generates spiritual power even more than prayer.

Write your own psalms of praise - crafted praise. Listen to God,
meditate and write praises to God for His ability to work everything
out for good.

It doesn't make sense but it works. Praise in times of crisis.

5. Use the "Carry
Me Jesus" Prayer when Overwhelmed

There are time when one feels totally overwhelmed. Grief and loss of
piled up. Depression rolls in. Painful memories are more then
pleasant ones. Life's frustrations outnumber the satisfactions. The
ones that are closest to you hurt or desert you. No one understands.
Guilt may be extreme. Energy may be minimal. Unsolved problems
compound. Anxiety builds. There doesn't seem to be any way out.

Do you want a Biblical description of deep depression to the point of
being overwhelmed? Look at Psalm 142 and 143 for a variety of images
describing depression. Note the following words and images in the
King James version: 'my spirit was overwhelmed within me' (142:3,
143:4), 'no one cares for my soul' (142:4), 'I am brought very low'
(142:6), 'Bring my soul out of prison' (142:7), 'the enemy has
crushed my life to the ground, has made me dwell in darkness'
(142:3), 'my heart within me is distressed' (143:4), 'my spirit
fails' (143:7), 'lest I be like those who go down into the pit' (143:7).

Not only is one's life is a crisis, in these verses it seems one's
heart, soul and spirit - one's very life - is on the line.

"Carry Me"

In this situation where one feel overwhelmed it appropriate to ask
Jesus to carry you. Jesus is willing to carry you. Remember 'Footprints.'

The "Carry Me" verbal prayer would go like this: "Jesus
I feel overwhelmed. I can't stand the pressure. It is too much for
me. The burden is too heavy. I need you. I need you to carry me
through this period of my life. Would you carry me?"

You are asking a question so take time to listen for the answer. Be
still. Wait. Don't think but do note what thoughts come spontaneously
to you. What images do you see or sense? What thought comes to you?
Observe your feelings, thoughts and imagination for God's response.
Thank him.

"Carry Me" refers to a picture of a lost sheep. Away form
the fold this sheep is out in the cold night, scared and perhaps
trapped where it cannot move. The shepherd must look for the lost
sheep. The shepherd picks up this lost sheep and carries it home. The
sheep is calmed and warmed by the shepherd's body and calm voice. The
sheep is now safe with the shepherd and soon will be safe home with
the flock. This feels good.

"Carry Me" is a inner prayer drama would go like this.
Imagine yourself as a lost sheep. You are calling out for the
shepherd. You are scared, wet, cold and trapped. You fee awful.
Finally the Good Shepherd arrives. He picks you up. Calms you down.
Dries you off and carries you home. You feel warmed and calmed as the
shepherd carries you. Imagine how you feel. Take a few minutes to
experience you, as this sheep, being carried along by the shepherd.
Imagine how thankful you feel toward your shepherd. Imagine how good
you feel when you are back home.

When you are finished notice how you feel. If you have time
write a prayer to Jesus the Good Shepherd that you can say every day
- your own psalm.

7. Nervous Breakdown and
Positive Breakdown

Common language often conveys great insight. The term "nervous
breakdown" reflects the people's experience. People can and do
experience that "feel like I am having a nervous breakdown."
So if you want a definition ask the people who have experienced it.

My sense of what this term means is a stressful period where one
feels overwhelmed and where something is happening to one but one
can't say what it is. It is a period of confusion. One doesn't know
what is going on. People in this state may frequently say,
"I don't know."

What is my interpretation of this? The reason for the confusion is
that there is major pressure on one's identity and practices patterns
of being. There is a disintegration of one's assigned family role -
of one's character pattern. This disintegration brings with it a
confusion of one's identity?

What is happening is that a major character pattern that served in
the past no longer serves. One is in an identity change. The old is
passing away and the new is coming into place.

Dabrowski coined the phrase "Positive Disintegration,"
(Positive Disintegration, Little, Brown and Co., 1964). In his model
of human development there is disintegration of one stage of
development so that one may move up to a higher level of development.
My understanding of what is breaking down is different than
Dabrowski's but I am in his debt for the concept of a positive
disintegration that leads to higher functioning.

God is the God of happy endings. In the case of a nervous breakdown,
the happy ending is emerging with a new more functional pattern. For
example, "People Pleasing" breaks down and the people
emerge free to be themselves. A new life starts free from the fear of people.

However it is possible that one does not emerge from the
breakdown of the old character pattern If the nervous breakdown does
not move through to a healthy new pattern then one may life in a
state of hopelessness resignation. One may live in a continuous state
of anxiety and or depression. One may display underlying bitterness
or hostility. One lives as one without hope.

Counselling for a Nervous Breakdown

A wise counsellor helps to make a nervous breakdown into a positive
breakdown. It is extremely important to access counselling resources
at this time of one's life. Failure to experience a positive
breakdown leaves one in the unhappy state described above.

My role a counsellor is to give understanding of the process,
to give hope of this positive outcome and to support the emergence of
the new and the abandonment of the old identity.

As a Christian Transformational Counsellor, I identify what is
breaking down in terms of the character patterns described by the
Sandfords. Parental Inversion and Performance Orientation (Sandford,
John and Paula, Transformation of the Inner Man, Bridge, 1982) are
two such patterns.

I convey hope and confidence because I recognize what is happening. I
understand the process. I understand the underlying belief systems
behind the dysfunctional character patterns. I am like an experienced
midwife. I don't control the process but I can coach and guide a
person through it.

Everyone will have times when their life is in a crisis and their
emotional resources are overwhelmed. This is normal. What is not
normal is to never have a major overwhelming life crisis. As far as I
know this does not happen. It is normal to have crisis times.

During the emotional turmoil of the nervous breakdown the client
often lacks the emotional resources to do inner healing - Christian
in depth prayer psychotherapy.

However, some of the tools of Listening Prayer Therapy (Listen to
God, G. Hartwell, unpublished manuscript, www.HealMyLife.com) can be
used in the nervous breakdown. "Put it on the Altar",
"Grief and Comfort" and "Carry Me" can be helpful.

The counsellor should recognize and rejoice when he or she sees
someone pulling out of the breakdown in a positive way.

Signs of Pulling through your 'Breakdown'

What are the signs of someone pulling out of the breakdown in a
positive way?

During the time of identity confusion people will use the phrase:
"I don't know." It must be "I don't know" without
an object. My translation of "I don't know" is "I
don't know who I am. I am confused about my identity right now."
However, I will not hear "I don't know" when someone is
pulling out of their time of disintegration.

What one does hear, if the person emerges from a pattern of people
pleasing, is "I don't care anymore." I know that it is time
to rejoice. Why? Because my interpretation is: "I don't care
anymore to live my life living up to people's expectations. It is
time to learn to be myself."

I can't identify as clearly the signal that people are disgusted with
their pattern of being "Super Responsible." I don't know
why that is. It may that "Super Responsible is more resistant to
a positive breakdown. More observation is needed.

In counselling sessions the counsellor is often listening to the
person and to God. We pray to make sure that God is invited into this
character transformation process. The prayers used in "Listening
Prayer Therapy" are used as appropriate in the session, as God
leads. The counsellor carries some of the burden with the person as
an intercessor. It is important to pray at the end of each session to
release as much as possible of this burden to God.

George's Basic Training in Prayer:

2. Prayer must be based in faith. Do not pray when in unbelief. (One
can confess unbelief and ask God for faith.)

3. Praying together must be based on agreement - not forced or
presumed agreement, but real agreement of heart and mind.

4. It is good to link prayer to scriptural promises as long as you do
not use Biblical promises to manipulate (or test) God. Therefore
confirm Biblical promises with listening prayer. Do not move in
presumption which is to test God.

5. To confirm a promise ask God if this promise applies to you in
your situation and listen for a word, sense, song, vision, or feeling
that confirms the promise. That is how to gain faith of the
heart so you can pray a heart felt prayer.

6. Do not address yourself to Satan. Do not taunt or argue with Satan.
Do not speak prayers to bind Satan. (Angels will do that at the
right time. Not you. (Revelation 20.) Do not command
Satan (except to command him to leave where he does not belong.)

6.b Do not address the Principalities and Powers. Do not
command or bind the. It is prideful and arrogant to presume to
control, take authority over or bind principalities and powers.
Leave that to the Lord of Hosts who commands all the angels and who
can call on 10,000 legions of angels (Jesus).

7. So praise God naming him and affirming who he is. Draw near to God
in praise and focus on him. Praise builds faith and calls upon the
presence of God. James says to Draw hear to God, and He will
draw near to you. Submit to God and resist the devil of pride
that would turn you away from God to fight with the devil. Give
no credit, attention or prayer to the devil. Deprive the devil
of your worship (attention) and he will flee from you.

8. Do start prayer from a position of humility. "I can't do this.
My prayers can't do this. God can do this." If you
want God to act you need to give it to God, let go, take hands off
and step back. An example of this is the prayer imagery of putting it
on the altar.

9. Pray for those with a closed mind by "sending the Holy
Spirit." Step back; take hands off, and ask God to speak to this person.

10. For the complainer and the critic who express toward you their
hurt, bitterness, frustration, and anger, Use the "Mediator
Prayer" - listen and send it up to heaven.